Putin, Rouhani welcome Aleppo 'victory'

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin welcomed the "Syrian army's victory against the terrorists in Aleppo" during a late-night phone call, Iranian media reported yesterday.

"The Syrian army's victory sends a message that the terrorists cannot achieve their objectives. We must stop terrorists using the ceasefire to rebuild their forces and create new bases in other regions of Syria," Rouhani said following the call on Saturday night, according to a statement published by state media.

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Putin also welcomed the defeat of rebel forces in Syria's second city and said cooperation between Tehran and Moscow "will continue".

They said peace talks would take place in Kazakhstan, without providing further details.

Iran and Russia have been the key backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and label all rebel forces in the country as "terrorists".